1. The Juilliard School NY
The Juilliard School is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905 as the Institute of Musical Art, the school became the Juilliard School of Music in 1946 and was subsequently renamed the Juilliard School with music, dance, and drama programs.
The Julliard School continues to be a world leader in performing arts education. Initially the school catered specifically to aspiring musicians, providing advanced musical training to talented individuals. Later the school also widened the artistic scope of its available curricula including both drama and dance. The Drama division was founded 1968 and now offers its students state of the art training and coaching to further develop an actor’s ability to deliver personal and transformative performances.
2. The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (London)
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA /ˈrɑːdə/) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senate House complex of the University of London and is a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools.
Founded in 1904 the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art have now provided vocational training to a wide range of talented individuals for over a century. Today this world-leading academy specializes in acting and theatre production; the school’s facilities are designed to mirror that of industry standards. To showcase this the school has four on-site theatres where acting and theatre production students work on public productions throughout their training.
3. David Geffen School of Drama at Yale, New Haven
The Department of Drama was founded at Yale University in 1924, formerly the Yale School of Drama, the School now holds a new name thanks to the charitable donation of $150 million from the David Geffen Foundation to continuously support the students there. To showcase the success of its students, the Yale Repertory Theatre has produced over 100 premieres; two of these have been Pulitzer Prize winners and four of these have been nominated for the same award. To further emphasise the success of the drama department, seventeen of these productions have advanced to Broadway.
4. NYU Tisch School of the Arts, New York
The School of Arts was founded at NYU in 1965; now it offers emerging artists the opportunity to study any of their exceptional courses. Amongst acting there is a wide variety of artistic disciplines for students to study that fits into one of the schools’ three divisions: Performing Arts, Emerging Media and Film and Television. The school faculty is comprised of renowned artists and scholars who aim to provide the best teaching in these subject areas.
5. University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Winston-Salem
Founded in 1963, The University of North Carolina School of the Arts is a conservatory school that is consistently ranked as one of the top drama schools. The school mission is to gift emerging talented artists with the experience and knowledge needed to strive in their chosen discipline. Teaching experiences include instrumental on-camera training, and organised showcases in New York and Los Angeles which provide students with much sought after exposure to industry professionals. The school offers courses at various levels including high school, undergraduate and graduate courses.
6. London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), London
LAMDA is a world-leading conservatoire offering vocational training to actors, stage managers, technicians, directors, and designers. The school makes a point of only training the best and limiting the course numbers to provide exceptional education. It is common for graduates of LAMDA to work on productions at the National Theatre and Shakespeare Company as well as larger shows at theatres like the West End and Broadway.
7. University of California San Diego (UCSD), San Diego
From 1973 UCSD have offered a major in drama at the Department of Theatre and Dance. The school mission prioritises training the next generation of emerging artists and scholars and change the way the world is interpreted using the performing arts. The school strongly emphasises producing new plays and since 2013 has worked closely with the Wagner New Play Festival. While studying students will have access to five theatres where they will work on productions whilst guided by distinguished artists.
8. Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, Pittsburgh
Founded in 1914, the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama is the first degree-granting drama institution in the United States. The school strives on preparing students intellectually, artistically, and practically to be at the forefront of their chosen discipline. This prepares students to be on stage, film, or television or on any platform with the vastly expanding scope of media. The graduating class of each year will feature in showcases put on in New York and Los Angeles.
9. Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London
Founded in 1880 as the first music college of Great Britain the legacy of the school has successfully transformed into a world-class institute. Graduates of Guildhall are exceedingly talented and contribute towards the community of actors, performance makers, production artists and musicians that learn under the prestigious faculty members. The school boasts three distinct theatres offering industry standards to further prepare its students for post-graduate work. The school was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2005 for its unrivalled development and outreach program, later in 2007 it won another Queen’s Anniversary Prize, recognising the success of the Opera Program.
10. The Old Globe and University of San Diego, San Diego
One of the final top drama schools in the World is the Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program. The school offers an intense two-year Master of Fine Arts program in classical acting; during this course students receive wide-ranging training that encompasses an extensive set of skills. Students will also work on Globe productions during their time at the school which provides them with the experience they need to later work in the industry. With only a 2% acceptance rate, the program is one of the most competitive in the United States.